


The Only Way

by Golden_Asp



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Soulmate AU, for the ironstrange discord, no happy ending, post Avengers 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 21:02:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: "Tony...It was the only way."Those words were seared into Tony's flesh; the last words his soulmate would speak to him before they died.He didn't think he'd hear them from a man he barely knew.He had to get him back.  He had to get them all back.





	The Only Way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Codee21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codee21/gifts).



> I should've been writing my thing for Igcor week but this was important. This one goes out to the Ironstrange Haven discord. I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind, but this is what happened. I'm sorry. A little sorry.
> 
> not very sorry.
> 
> I'm sorry, Tony. I hurt you a lot.
> 
> not beta-ed

_Tony…It was the only way._

Tony stares at those words every day of his life. They are written on his skin, burned into his soul. They are the last words his soulmate will speak to him before they die.

Tony has no idea who his soulmate is. He thinks it might be Pepper, but he prays that she isn’t; he can’t bear to hear those words from her, and the few times she’s said something similar has sent him into spirals of panic. 

He almost loses Happy, and wonders if his former bodyguard might just be his soulmate. He doesn’t pursue that line of thought. Some things he doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to hear those words.

He thinks it might be Rhodey; his oldest friend, his platonic (most of the time) life mate. He hopes it’s not, because he doesn’t want to hear Rhodey’s voice say those six words.

He hopes Natasha isn’t his soulmate. He wants it to be someone he trusts implicitly, and he doesn’t trust her, not completely.

He wonders if Bruce is his soulmate. He likes both aspects of Bruce Banner, but then Bruce disappears without saying anything and Tony is left alone.

He asks Thor if Asgardians have soulmates. After explaining the words on his arm to the god, Thor tells him they do not. Tony lets go of the thought that Thor might be his soulmate, although if that were the case it would most likely be him dying first.

For a while, he thinks Steve might be his soulmate. He isn’t sure what to think of that; one, because Steve is from a different time. He’s never heard of soulmates with that much of an age difference, even if one was frozen in ice for seventy years. Two, he’s lived his life in Steve Rogers’ shadow, and having the man actually be there brings back all the memories of how Howard thought Steve was so much better than him. 

Then Siberia happens, and Tony prays that Steve _is_ his soulmate, because if Steve says those words after slamming that shield into the arc reactor he’d be moments from death, and in that moment, Tony wants Steve to die. 

Steve doesn’t say those words; he just walks away with Bucky in his arms. 

Tony doesn’t die, much to his surprise. He tries to move on, to not think of the words burned into his flesh. Does he know his soulmate already? Has he already met them, or will he meet them some in the future?

The only thing he knows is his soulmate will die before him: he has the words on his flesh; his soulmate’s skin will be bare.

Tony wishes his skin was bare, that he would die first. It would be better that way.

He’s always wondered if he deserved a soulmate. He knows people live perfectly happy lives without knowing if they’ve met their soulmate, but he wants to know. Deep inside, he wants his other half, his perfect lover. He’s tired of being alone.

Tony knows that something is coming. He’s seen it, and he does everything in his power to be ready when it comes.

He fails.

:::

Tony meets Stephen Strange on a Tuesday. The man steps through a portal that nearly has Tony shitting himself, but he steps in front of Pepper anyway. He still hopes she’s not his soulmate, but they decided to try a relationship again.

Bruce falls into his arms, and Tony knows the end is near.

This is it. It’s coming.

He has a name for his terror now.

Thanos.

:::

Strange is fascinating, and Tony hates him. Tony hates him because he brought him the worse possible news. Tony hates him because he ruined the happy little world Tony had been building. Tony hates him because he sees himself in those iridescent eyes, and Tony hates him because he’s drawn to the man.

He is told about the Infinity Stones, and he worries about Vision. He knows Vis is with Wanda, but the android turned off his transponder. He can’t find him; he can’t contact him. He stares at the stupid little outdated phone Steve Rogers gave him.

There’s only one number in it, a number in case he ever needed Steve. He never wanted to need Steve Rogers again. He knows Bruce is right; he needs to hit send but he _can’t_. Steve broke his heart and left him for dead. He’s happier without him.

He never gets a chance to decide whether or not to hit send.

Everything is happening too fast now. Strange has been taken and Peter didn’t go home.

For the second time in his life, Tony finds himself in space.

He’s certain that he won’t make it home this time.

:::

Tony is drawn to Strange, and he’s terrified of him. The man is powerful, and no one should be able to manipulate time like that.

It’s the look that Stephen (Stephen…when did he become Stephen?) gives him after seeing those fourteen million six hundred and five futures that rattles Tony to the core. No one’s ever looked at him like that before; like he’s the only thing in the universe that matters.

Tony wants to ask him about it, but he doesn’t have an opportunity.

Their plan goes south when Quill loses it. Tony understands; he knows what it’s like to stare the person who murdered someone you love in the eye. Tony doesn’t blame Quill. He might be the only one who doesn’t. 

Tony knows the Time Stone is safe; Strange was very insistent that he would let Tony and Peter die before giving up the stone.

Then Stephen opens his mouth, and Tony watches as he gives up the stone.

Tony stares in horror, fear and anger rising in him. He seals his wound with the nanotech, shaking after Thanos steps through to Earth. 

“Why would you do that?” Tony whispers, lifting his eyes to meet Stephen’s.

“Something’s happening,” Mantis says.

She’s the first to turn to dust, blowing away on a Titan breeze. One by one, the other Guardians follow until only Tony, Stephen, Peter, and Nebula remain.

“Tony…” Stephen says, drawing his gaze.

Tony’s heart stops. No. Not this. Not now. Not him.

“It was the only way.”

Tony lunges across the gulf between them, grabbing Stephen by the shoulders. His soulmate, his perfect other half.

“Stephen!” he says. He tries to hug Stephen to his body, but he holds only dust. He feels his soul crack, a broken sob escaping his throat.

“Mr. Stark.” 

Tony turns, his feet and heart leaden with fear.

“I don’t feel so good.”

What’s left of Tony’s soul shatters.

:::

He and Nebula make it back to Earth, though he isn’t sure how. He doesn’t remember the trip, nearly dying, the message to Pepper. He told her about Stephen, his soulmate, turned to dust in his arms.

He prays Pepper hasn’t been turned into dust.

He can’t dwell on it.

He does remember bonding the nanotech to his bones. He’s more iron than man now. It was the only way to survive the cold, black expanse of space. He dreams of Stephen in space, of blue butterflies and red spiders.

They land, and he steps off to see Rhodey, Steve, Bruce, and Natasha. He falls into Rhodey’s arms, but he has no tears left to cry.

He left them all behind with two piles of ash on a dead planet.

:::

The Avengers needed something to Avenge, that’s how it always was. Coulson died so they would band together, using righteous fury to avenge his death. Now…now they have so much to avenge, so many people they love, gone, dust.

Peter. Stephen. Bucky. Sam. T’Challa. Wanda. Shuri. Quill. Mantis. Drax. Vision. Loki. So many nameless others.

They all have someone they fight for, someone to avenge.

Years pass as they jump through time and dimensions, gathering the Infinity Stones for their own use.

Tony doesn’t look at his bare skin. Stephen’s words faded along with his life. Tony _will_ get him back. 

He’ll get them all back.

:::

Thanos lies dead at Carol’s feet, his head no longer attached to his body. The Avengers stand around them, staring at the corpse at their feet.

Tony picks up the gauntlet, staring at those six hated stones.

They aren’t sure what to do now. They were never certain they’d make it this far.

Tony’s armor bleeds back into his skin, leaving him pale and sweaty. He feels the eyes of the others on him, hope rising in their souls.

“Tony, it could kill you,” Steve says.

“I know.”

Tony puts on the gauntlet. He screams, power coursing through his too mortal body. He can see the power of the stones, hear them whisper tantalizing dreams in his ear. He can change everything. He can remake the universe in his image and everyone would love him for it because he _wants_ them to.

The stones sing to him of possibilities, but there’s only one voice he wants to hear again.

**BRING THEM BACK!**

Tony snaps his fingers and the universe goes white.

:::

Stephen staggers as he reforms, air filling his lungs. It hurts, but he doesn’t question it. The boy is next to him, sobbing into the ground. The Guardians are there, holding each other. Steve crashes into Bucky and Sam, crying into their shoulders. Wanda sits alone, tears running down her face as she stares at her hands. T’Challa and Shuri embrace, both crying.

Thor stares at the rising sun, a lock of Loki’s hair in his hand. Stephen imagines he doesn’t want to see the others getting the reunion he never will.

Stephen gets to his feet. He needs to find Tony. He needs to apologize. He needs to hold him, protect him, and God willing kiss him. 

He lifts his hand sees a flash of words on his skin. 

He freezes, heart stuttering. Those had never been there before. His flesh had always been bare. 

He looks at the words and he runs.

:::

He finds Tony in Carol’s arms, Captain Marvel cradling Iron Man. The gauntlet smokes on Tony’s arm, the stones destroyed.

He falls to his knees, a shaking hand reaching out to cup Tony’s face.

“Tony,” he whispers, voice cracking on a sob.

Tony blinks, opening his eyes. The whites of his eyes are blood red, bruises bloom across his skin, blood drips from his nose. 

Stephen wants to tear the Time Stone from the gauntlet. He wants to fix this. He never saw this.

Tony coughs, blood spattering across Stephen’s face.

“You’re my soulmate,” Tony whispers.

“I know,” Stephen says, cupping his face. “I’m so sorry, Tony.”

“Don’t…” Tony coughs, unable to catch his breath. “Kiss…”

Carol lets Stephen pull Tony into his arms. Stephen cradles Tony against him, tears falling onto Tony’s skin.

He kisses Tony, trying to ignore the copper taste of blood against his tongue. He feels a touch against his wrist, against the words that are distinct against his skin.

“Tony…” he whispers again.

Tony coughs, finger tracing the words on Stephen’s flesh.

“Stephen…It was the only way.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are love. Please tell me what you think.


End file.
